The Perfect Birthday
by ArtificialMykel
Summary: Being the youngest in a family of eight plus parents is a lot of stress, especially when life throws a few tragedies your way as well. OC. AU. The Mikaelsons are all human, no supernatural at all. One shot. I don't own The Originals or any of their characters. Except Dominik, he's all mine :)


**Hello hello hello!**

 **So this is a FanFiction of firsts for me. Never done a one shot, never done an AU and never done an Originals FanFiction. I'm hoping this'll help unclog my mind with things if I can focus my random thoughts into small one shots. If this gets enough interest, its possible that it could turn into a multi-chapter story, maybe with the Mikaelson's being vampires.**

 **I'm a British fella so some of the dialog is written how the characters would speak. The use of mum and mom is intentional. I'm also dyslexic so apologies for spelling errors!**

 **Okay, so hope you enjoy and please don't forget to review. Enjoy!**

 **. . .**

"Elijah, you have got to be kidding me?"

Elijah stands with his arms folded, his legs at shoulder width apart and a stern expression on his face, the perfect image of authority as he watches his baby brother pace back and forth in the Mikaelson mansion.

"Dominik, I have told you time and time again, you are not going to that party." Elijah's voice is annoying calm, as though talking to an agitated child, something he's grown use to doing in his role as big brother.

The tone of his voice only infuriates Dominik further, causes him to make a noise, a cross between a groan and a growl as he looks over to the couch where Niklaus is lounging with a smirk plastered across his smug face.

"Don't look to me for help, little brother. This is between you and Elijah, I'm merely here to observe and enjoy." Niklaus tells his younger brother with a wicked grin that only he can pull off.

"Dominik, it's not safe, not after what has happened to others out there." Elijah states. "Besides, you're too young."

With that last sentence, Niklaus chuckles none too quietly and straightens himself on the couch to get a better view of the fight that's most likely about to break out. Dominik spins around and glares at Elijah with a look that would undoubtedly strike him down if Dominik had any sort of witchcraft under his belt.

"You can't stop me." Dominik spits out before heading to the doorway.

Elijah predicts the teenagers move and leaps over the couch to stand in front of his sibling. Then, in a heartbeat, he wraps his arm around his baby brothers neck, effectively putting him in a headlock. Elijah effortlessly drags his struggling brother back into the centre of the living area at the same time that their sister arrives back home, storming into the room to join her brothers with her hands on her hips.

"What the bloody hell is going on now?" Rebekah demands, looking between Niklaus, Elijah and the still trapped Dominik.

"Our dear baby brother thinks he can persuade Elijah to let him go to the party in Rousseau's tonight." Niklaus informs his angry, baby sister.

"And who put Elijah in charge?" Rebekah asks, still glaring at her two older brothers.

"My point exactly!" Dominik yells, though his voice is muffled against Elijah's suit.

"Eli, let him go." Rebekah's voice is quiet and calm but it doesn't leave any room for an argument.

Elijah does as he's told without question, releasing Dominik, then he goes about fixing his suit and straightening his tie back to its original, immaculate state. As he does, Dominik goes about fixing his shaggy, blonde hair with a couple of hair flicks, making sure every strand is perfectly placed.

"You're not in charge of me, or any of us, Elijah." Dominik tells his brother with another glare.

"As the eldest, it is down to me to make sure we, as a family, make the right decisions." Elijah's voice is low and calm, letting the siblings know that he's not about to change his mind about anything.

"Finn's the oldest." Dominik answers back in a heartbeat.

"Well, Finn isn't here right now, is he?" Elijah snaps back.

"Just because he's half way around the world serving in Iraq, doesn't mean you can just disregard him completely. He's still our brother." Dominik narrows his eyes as he speaks to Elijah.

Rebekah sighs, knowing how much it effects Dominik that their eldest brother isn't here with them, even after such a difficult multitude of family tragedies.

"Dom, I think Eli's right." Rebekah regretful speaks out. "You can't go to that party."

Dominik stares at Rebekah for a few seconds before starting to pace again. "You all seem to forget that I'm not a kid anymore. I had to leave my childhood behind the night we lost our mother. I feel like I've lived a thousand blood years with you all breathing down my neck to try and keep me innocent and young but it's not going to work."

Elijah and Rebekah share a sympathetic, understanding look while Niklaus keeps his steely gaze firmly on the opposite wall to avoid his siblings seeing him upset.

After the car crash a year ago that killed their mother and father, the family almost fell apart completely. They all knew too well that the crash was no accident with Mikael driving while most likely under the influence of alcohol. Mikael and Esther were killed instantly when their car collided with an eighteen wheeler, Mikael being thrown from the car because he wasn't wearing a safety belt and Esther effectively being crushed in the impact.

Henrik, who was travelling in the backseat, was left in a coma, paralysed from the neck down with massive brain trauma. The family asked the army to allow Finn a few days leave for him to come home for the parents funerals and at the same time, he signed an agreement that if Henrik made no improvements within ninety days of the accident, they were to turn off his life support.

On the eighty-ninth day, Freya, the eldest Mikaelson, took her own life because she blamed herself for the death of their parents and the inevitable death of Henrik as he had made no improvements. Kol found her hanged from their treehouse in the garden after he was fired from yet another job and returned home earlier than expected. He tried but ultimately failed to save her.

Thus, the Mikaelson family was thrown into turmoil. The remaining siblings were blessed with a hefty inheritance, so they were able to continue living in the Mikaelson mansion without having to worry about bills or somewhere to live. Esther made sure there was something set up for whenever something happened to her or Mikael.

Finn refused to come home again until his tour as an army medic was finished, stating that he would rather stay in Iraq saving lives then mourning the lives of his lost family. He didn't think about how he could be helping his siblings cope, he just focused on helping those effected and injured by war.

Elijah became the head of the family at the grand age of thirty while also trying to hold down a full time job as a newly qualified lawyer. He was in charge of making sure the other family members had the support and love they needed after loosing almost half of their family in such a short space of time.

Niklaus turned to his art work, drinking and regularly working out at Marcel's gym. Even at just twenty-eight years old, his art work had gotten him noticed so he made a decent amount from that. He locked his emotions away from the rest of the family, not wanting to seem weak. Instead he channelled his grief into anger and used it while in the ring to pummel those unlucky enough to go up against him.

Kol hadn't been seen since Freya's funeral. No one in the family had heard from him since, assuming he had just gone on one of his weekend benders and expecting him to return home with a new girl on his arm. But no. Days, weeks, months went past without a word. As far as the rest of the family know, he's still alive but that's all the information they have on their twenty-five year old sibling.

Rebekah had opened up a small childcare service in the French Quarter with just a handful of children to look after throughout the weekdays. Families were reluctant to use her service to start with, with her being so young at just twenty-three, but after the first week, people were queuing for her to look after their offspring.

Dominik was the only one in the family that couldn't channel his grief and pain into something he was passionate about. Loosing his parents a week before his fifteen birthday meant that he had to stay in school and carry on with his education, even with everything happening around him. He wanted nothing more then to drop out of high school and focus on his dream of protecting endangered wildlife, particularly the wolf packs around New Orleans.

"Dominik?" Rebekah's voice pulls Dominik back from his day dreams. "You'll be late for school of you don't go now. Elijah will drop you there on his way to the office."

Dominik sighs for the millionth time that morning and grabs up his backpack from next to Niklaus on the couch. "See ya Nik." He mumbles, wrapping one arm around Nik's shoulders in a halfhearted hug.

He then goes across the room and pulls Rebekah into a hug as well, something that the Mikaelson's would never used do but now they never leave each other without it.

"Be good at school. Don't start any fights again." Rebekah tells her baby brother with a small, knowing smile. She kisses Dominik on the forehead and then moves over to the couch, laying down with her head on Nik's lap.

Elijah leans over Rebekah, planting a small kiss on her cheek and then putting his hand on Nik's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze of affection and love and Nik nods up to him in reply. Elijah then takes his suit jacket from the back of the couch and heads out of the room towards the front door.

"Come along Dominik." He calls and with a reluctant sigh and one last look at the two on the couch, Dominik follows.

. . .

Elijah pulls up outside the high school and shuts the engine off, causing Dominik to turn in his seat and frown at him. The twenty minute car ride had been completely silent, save the soft classical music playing through the radio. Elijah sighs and turns slightly to look at his baby brother, a small frown creasing his forehead.

"I'm not as good at parenting as mum was and I'm sorry for that." Elijah tells Dominik, his voice thick with emotion. "I feel like I got to spend so much time with her and you so little and it's incredibly unfair that you got dealt such a shitty hand at such a young age."

This small speech really catches Dominik's attention, mostly because Elijah never curses. "Elijah, its fine. I mean sure, it sucks that she's not here anymore, but it's not your fault. Don't feel too bad."

Elijah continues to frown at Dominik as if he's trying to figure something out and after a few minutes that feel like hours, he huffs out a huge sigh and lets his head fall back against the rest, closing his tear filled eyes.

"Yi-yi, do you think we'll ever get to a point where it doesn't hurt to think and talk about Ma?" Dominik asks his older brother, hoping the use of the nickname he used as a toddler will bring a smile to his face.

Elijah does smile, but he keeps his head back and his eyes closed. "I don't know, brother, I hope so."

They sit in silence for a little longer, both just reflecting on the individual memories they cherish most of their mother. Dominik remembering a time when he was around none years old and Esther took him out on his first ever mother-son date.

All through the morning and early afternoon, Dominik had completed several chores such as cleaning his room, raking the leaves in the front yard, taking out the trash and Esther had paid him for each chore. Once he had enough, the two of them put on their best, smart casual clothes and went to the local dessert bar. Esther taught him how to treat a lady, hold the door, pull out her chair for her, wait for her to sit down before he does, all the little things that are slowly being lost in the world. She taught him how to order food, how to pay and how to correctly leave a tip. The whole experience was just the two of them for several hours, just mother and son bonding in the most perfect way.

Dominik didn't know that Esther had done the same with the other siblings and it didn't need to be known. He felt special, he felt loved and he adored doting on his mother and showing her his love. Mikael was furious when they returned home, but Dominik always decides to cut the memory short at that point.

Elijah remembers the time when his mother returned home with a newborn Rebekah. Elijah was both terrified and elated to have a baby sister and he remembers his mothers constant reassurance as he settled himself onto the couch and she placed the sleeping baby on his lap. He sat perfectly still with his knobbly kneed, short clad legs jutting straight out in front of him and his arms tightly wrapped around the tiny bundle of his sister.

In that moment, staring unblinking into the face of his baby sibling, Elijah felt love he'd never felt before. Esther told him that it was his job to love and care for the tiny baby for as long as he lived, even after she herself was no longer able to. He promised his mother in that moment to always take care of the family, no matter what, which is exactly what he's trying to do right now.

In the distance, they both hear to first school bell of the morning ring out and sigh in unison, pulled out of their memories.

"Guess that means I gotta go." Dominik mumbles out.

"It does indeed." Elijah confirms. "Nik will pick you up when you've finished school and take you home."

Dominik groans as he clambers out of the car hauling his backpack out with him. He starts to trudge towards the school buildings, already wishing the day was over.

"Dom?" Elijah calls out, causing Dominik to stop and turn around. "Happy birthday, brother."

Dominik sends Elijah a small, crooked half smile and a nod of acknowledgement before turning back around and heading to his first class.

. . .

Dominik weaves his way through the crowds in the high school hallways, trying to avoid colliding with people as they all rush around to get to their next class or stand around gossiping with friends. As he weaves, he curses Elijah for not letting him drop out of school and do online classes.

He's silently counting down to minutes until he can leave class a little earlier than usually to avoid Niklaus. He has absolutely no intentions of going home straight after class like a kindergarten kid, not if there's a party on and definitely not on his sixteenth birthday. He can't believe only one of his siblings remembered that it was his birthday today.

"Dom!" The familiar voice makes Dominik whirl around and put his arms out just in time to catch the blur of long hair and infectious giggles.

Davina wraps her arms tightly around Dominik's neck and her legs around his waist, burying her face against his neck as she continues to giggle, forcing a laugh out of Dom as well.

"Hello, love." He murmurs to her quietly, all the worries from earlier about his siblings now vanished.

Davina releases her hold on Dominik and slide down his body to stand in front of him, a grin still lighting up her face. "Happy birthday!" She practically yells, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Dominik can feel the blush creeping into his cheeks with embarrassment and he tries to shake his shaggy, midnight blue hair into his face to hide it. "Thanks D'ina." He mumbles.

They both start to walk to their next class together, chemistry of all things, and Davina bouncing along beside Dominik needing to take an extra step for every one of his due to their height difference.

Dominik and Davina have been best friends since they started pre K together. Dominik was the shy, new kid with a strange accent and he didn't have the confidence to join in playing games, so he sat quietly clutching a tiny wooden knight that Niklaus had crafted for him.

As always, the class bully picked Dominik out as the weakest member of the class and thought it would be hilarious to steal the figurine from him, causing Dom to start his first ever physical fight against someone that isn't a sibling. He'd never really appreciated having older brothers to teach him how to throw a punch, but in that moment, when his tiny, perfectly clenched fist collided with the bully's eye.

The bully, whose name has been lost in happier memories, told the teacher that it was all Dominik's fault. He said that Dominik had stolen the toy from him first, despite it having DM carved into the bottom to prove it was Dom's.

The teacher, who clearly had favourites, believed the sobbing bully and took the toy away from the both of them, storing it in her desk drawer. Dominik thought he'd never see it again until little Davina Claire stepped up to the teacher and explained everything. She came to Dominik's rescue by reclaiming the wooden knight and handing it back to the sniffling Dom, thus starting the best friendship they've ever had.

Dominik's nerves take full hold of him as they enter the class room and see the one and only Joshua Rosza.

"What a perfect class to have with such a handsome young man." Davina murmurs almost silently to Dominik while not taking her eyes off of Josh.

"D'ina, don't start." Dominik warns, nudging her arm to quieten her.

"Oh, come on!" She quips back. "What's the point in having a best friend if I can't tease you about your crush on your birthday?"

"Davina, shut the hell up." He whines in protest but its too late.

"Mikaelson, you got a birthday today?" Josh calls over, his perfect smile setting Dom's every nerve on fire.

"Uh, yeah." He replies, not making eye contact.

"Awesome."

"Yeah," Davina butts in. "He's actually celebrating at Rousseau's tonight if you wanna come."

Josh looks from Dominik to Davina and back again, his eyes burning into Dom's. "Sure, I'll be there."

The conversation is broken up by their teacher coming into the room and they all take their allocated seats. Once seated, Dominik glares at Davina sitting next to him.

"I can't believe you, D!" He hisses, kicking her chair leg to get his annoyance across.

She simply grins at him and winks, looking across the room and nodding her head in gesture. Dominik follows her gaze to see Josh very obviously checking him out. Maybe his birthday won't be so bad after all?

. . .

"So what's the plan for your big party, birthday boy?" Davina asks as they make their way into the school canteen.

Dominik sighs and slumps down into a chair, resting his forehead on the table in front of him. "I don't know." He groans. "I just wanna chill out and not have Elijah breathing down my bloody neck every two-seconds."

Davina smiles as the choice of curse word from Dom, something Americans don't usually use but a word that's creeped its way into her vocabulary from spending so much time with the Mikaelsons.

"I swear he's worse than mum ever was." Dominik grumbles. "At least she let me come to school on my own."

"He's just worried about you Dom, I don't blame him after this past years events." Davina frowns at the thought of everything the family has been through over the last twelve months and sighs.

She reaches over to rub Dom's back, a small gesture of comfort but something she knows will help him. When Dominik was younger and scared, hurt or couldn't sleep, Esther used to rub his back in small, soothing circles and it would calm him right down. Now Davina has adopted that technique of comfort for him and he's never been able to tell her how grateful he is that she's done it. It's just a tiny gesture but it brings him so much comfort.

"Is Elijah picking you up from school?" She asks him while popping open her bottle of water and taking a sip.

"No but Nik is and he's just as bad." Dominik sighs and sits back, taking Davina's water and swigging half the contents in one go.

"Hey!" Davina slaps his arm and snatches the bottle back but all with a smile on her face. "I swear, you're like the big brother I never had." Davina tells him and Dominik replies with a cheesy grin. "Okay, how's this. We leave school now, I'll get Marcel to pick us up and we can go and celebrate your birthday someplace else that isn't school."

Dominik stares at her in disbelieve. "Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" He asks jokingly. "You never cut class! What's gotten into you D'ina?"

"I think it's about time you get out of that damn mansion and enjoy yourself again." Davina speaks with all seriousness. "What would your mom say if she knew you weren't enjoying yourself on your birthday?"

Dominik feels his cheeks pale and his eyes go wide. Davina never speaks about Dom's mother, always too worried that she'll upset him or bring up unwanted memories or feelings.

"She'd probably take me out herself and show me a bloody good time." He admits with a smile at the thought of his mother taking him to a party.

Without saying another word, Davina pulls out her cell phone, dials a number and waits for the other person to answer. "Marcel? Hey, can you come and get me? Please? Okay, thank you." With that she hangs up and grins at Dom.

"You're such a daddy's girl it's unbelievable." Dominik tells her, shaking his head.

"Foster-daddy," She corrects. "But yeah, you're right. I can't help it, he loves me."

They both laugh and go about finishing their lunches before heading out to the parking lot to meet Marcel. He greets them both with a nod from the window of his SUV and they climb into the back.

"I take it I'm not supposed to be telling your brothers that you're cutting school?" Marcel asks, making eye contact with Dominik via the rear view mirror.

"Uh, if you could keep it between the three of us that'd be great." Dominik tells him with a nervous smile.

"I thought so." Marcel murmurs, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.

Marcel has always been good to Dominik, mostly because he knows how much he means to Davina and vice versa. Marcel is around the same age as Niklaus and the two of them got on like a house on fire when the Mikaelson's moved to New Orleans twelve years ago. They were both troublemakers and had issues with their fathers being abusive drunks, so they connected straight away and being incredibly close friends just like Dom and Davina.

Marcel was like another older brother to Dominik, one that he could go to for things that he didn't want is family to know about. If he ever ran away from home, which he did on several occasions, he's end up at Marcel's and always have a bed for the night. Marcel was also the first person Dominik ever had a crush on, not that he'd ever admit that to anyone.

"Okay, what's the plan D?" Marcel asks once they're out of the school grounds.

Dominik looks to Davina and shrugs, waiting for her to come up with the plan. "Don't shrug at me 'Minik, this is your day."

Dominik narrows his eyes at her. He's never been one for making plans, but now it's probably the time to start. "Okay, I want to go to Rousseau's." He knows he's trying his luck. Marcel is very strict about alcohol so Dominik chose his words carefully. "I haven't seem Cami in a while and it'd be nice to go somewhere that isn't home, school or your loft, no offence."

"None taken. Rousseau's it is." Marcel confirms.

Davina and Dominik share a surprised look but don't question Marcel's sudden chance of rules. Today is definitely turning out to be better then Dominik thought it would.

. . .

"So Dominik, what makes you, a barely eighteen year old, think you can come into a bar in the middle of the day and be served?" Cami asks from behind the bar in the very vacant Rousseau's.

"Well, you know me," Dominik starts, putting as much charm as he can into his voice. "I wouldn't be a Mikaelson if I didn't try and break the rules every once in a while."

Cami stares at Dominik with his award winning smile before chuckling and shaking her head. "You are too much like Klaus." She tells him. "And that is not always a good thing."

"But it is sometimes?"

"Sometimes." Cami confirms. "I'll let you have one and only one beer each, if you have something to eat as well."

Again, Davina and Dominik share a surprised look. Dominik is starting to feel like something on a larger scale is going on here and he looks from Cami, over to Marcel whose sat at a small, round table reading a paper, and back to Cami. Something is definitely of here.

"What's going on here?" He asks the two adults.

They both share a look before Cami smiles at Dom, trying to hide her worry of being caught. "Nothing Dom, nothing at all."

"You suck at lying Cami." Dominik tells her. "Where is everyone? This place is usually full of midday drinkers."

"Well, technically I'm not open yet." Cami says quietly. "Look Dominik, please don't ask questions. Just accept that I'm willing to put my career and my bar on the line for you to have a beer on your birthday."

Dom frowns up at her from his barstool but doesn't ask anymore questions. He does however set himself the task of getting down tot he bottom of why everyone is being so shady.

. . .

"Okay you two, I think its time we got you home." Marcel tells the two teens, startling both of them slightly.

One beer had turned into three and Davina had become slightly tipsy. They were only supposed to be at the bar for an hour max, but now the sun was starting to go down.

Dominik can handle his alcohol a little better, but he's still giggling at the wobbly Davina as she stands from her barstool. Cami had decided to turn a blind eye to the two of them, saying that she'll just accept a drink from Dom on his twenty-first as payment.

Of course, Marcel and Cami don't know that about six months ago Dominik stole a bottle of incredibly expensive, incredibly strong bourbon from his brothers collection of ageing spirits. He planned to drink himself stupid to try and forget about the emotional pain his was feeling after all the heartache. He got about a third of the bottle through before bursting into tears and calling Davina, telling her about how he didn't feel like he could live without his mother anymore.

She immediately came to his recuse and drank with him, letting him cry on her shoulder and unload all of his worries to her. It was also the night that he confirmed something she'd known since elementary school. Dominik came out to Davina that night, shuddering breath from crying so much, puffy face from the tears.

He told her he had a crush on Marcel and she never lets him forget it now. She knows Marcel is a good looking man but he's practically her father. Not by blood, but he raised her and for Dominik to have a crush on him just gives her something to use against her best friend when he needs taking down a peg or two.

"Whoa D'ina, careful darling." Dominik chuckles as she leans against him for support.

He wraps his arm around her shoulders and helps her walk out to the car, giving her a little boost up before clambering in after her. They settle with him sat in the middle seat and Davina resting her head on his shoulder, both go them clutching onto each others hands.

Marcel starts up the engine and heads on his way, neither of the teens really paying much attention to where they're going.

"You know 'Minik, you're mom hoped that we'd end up getting married and having lil Mikaelson babies. Did you know that?" Davina murmurs.

Dominik grins at her apparently secret telling. "I did. She couldn't wait to have grand children." He tells her with a sad smile.

"I miss her." Davina whispers, squeezing Dominik's hand.

"Me too D'ina, more than I ever think I'll be able to admit."

The rest of the car ride is quiet with the two teens staying close together on the back seat. Anyone looking in from the outside at their relationship would straight away assume that they were boyfriend and girlfriend, destined to be married, have babies and spends their lives together living happily.

Instead, they're two best friends who know every little detail about each other, love each other to a point they cant put into words and will undoubtedly spend their lives together as the best of friends. Dominik is protective and caring over Davina, making sure that anything or anyone that does her harm is dealt with accordingly and Davina has been there when Dom's siblings couldn't be. She's been his shoulder to cry on, his hand to hold and his anchor. He couldn't wish for anything more in a best friend.

"We're here." Marcel announces.

With those two words, Davina giggles and sits up, smiling over at Dominik. "Stay here." She tells him before pushing open the door and jumping out, slamming it shut before Dominik can even think about getting out.

"Marcel, are you finally going to tell me what the bloody hell is going on?" Dominik asks, starting to worry and get slightly annoyed by all the secrecy.

"All in good time, Dom."

"Marcel, now is not the time to fu-." Dominik starts talking but he's stopped when the car door is pulled open.

Davina is standing there with a small black dress and heels on, a smile plastered across her face and holding out her hand to Dom. Dominik looks to Marcel who just smiles at him and climbs out of the car as well. Dominik takes Davina's hand and climbs out of the car, looking around to see that he's outside the Mikaelson mansion.

"You brought me home?" Dom asks Marcel with a frown.

"Stop asking questions and come inside." Davina giggles, pulling Dominik towards the house.

Dom notes how steady she is on her feet and how her words are perfectly clear and realisation hits him. "You're not drunk at all, are you?" He asks in disbelieve.

"Nope." Davina grins back at him.

She pulls him into the house and they're greeted with a loud, echoing cheer and several pops as streams of paper fall all over Davina and Dominik. Dominik looks around at all the familiar faces smiling back at him and he feels like someone has their hand around his heart giving it a squeeze. He can practically feel the love radiating off of everyone around and he almost feels like he has to gasp for air to not pass out from an emotional overload.

Elijah steps forward from the crowd, wearing an immaculate suit as always but without a tie, and hands Dominik a champagne flute. "Happy birthday, Dominik." He greets his brother, clinking his own glass to Dom's.

Rebekah bounces forward in a red cocktail dress and wraps her arms tightly around Dominik's neck, squeezing him half to death before planting a kiss on his cheek. "Happy sixteenth, Dom-Dom!" She grins before stepping away to stand with Elijah.

Niklaus, clad in his usual long sleeve Henley, fitted jeans and boots, steps up to Dominik and stops about a foot away. He gives his brother the once over before reaching forward to wrap his hand around the back of Dominik's neck, resting his own forehead against Dom's. He holds it there for a few seconds, a familiar, family greeting before stepping back but still gripping Dominik's neck.

"Happy birthday, my littlest brother." Niklaus murmurs with a grin that only he can pull off.

Dominik grins back and pats Nik's hand in thanks. Niklaus steps away and Dominik's mouth drops open at what, or rather who he sees.

"Hello, Dom," Kol speaks out. "Miss me?"

Dominik can't help himself. He runs at his long last brother wrapping his arms around Kol's neck, making sure that he's actually real and there. "Kol." He breathes, feeling the months of hurt lift off his shoulders knowing that he brother is alive and finally back with them.

"Left 'til last, as always." Another voice rings out. "Price I pay for being the eldest of you lot I guess."

Dom whirls around to see Finn, clad in military uniform with his pack at his feet and sand still on his boots.

"Now I know I must be dreaming." Dominik confesses. "You're supposed to be in Iraq!" He laughs as he throws himself at his eldest brother.

"My tour is over brother. I'm home, for good this time." Finn confirms and Dom can practically feel the relief washing over him from his brother.

Dominik stands back and realises he's standing in the middle of the small crowd. Everyone he cares about is here, Elijah, Niklaus, Rebekah. Finn is back from war, safe and staying. Kol has finally made his way home. Davina and Marcel, Cami, everyone Dominik loves is right here.

He looks over to the mantel piece above the fireplace at the three individual pictures of his mum, Freya and Henrik and he knows they're here too. He can feel their love around him.

He sighs happily, feeling the eyes of everyone he loves on him. "This is the best birthday, ever."

. . .

 **So what'd y'all think? Don't forget to review and lemme know if you like it or not.**

 **"If you can't love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an amen up in here?" - RuPaul**


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